Danger Zone

Chapter 29: "Enjoy The Silence"

Since Jules had disappeared from the radar for four days now, Nora started to be concerned. She hadn't heard anything, Jules wasn't answering calls, or texts. They had gone through that before – when Jules had worked herself into the burnout. Nora decided to check on her best friend in person, as this was so unusual for her to simply disappear. Her spidey senses, however, were tingling. There were two options: either Jules and Tom had broken up for good and Jules was licking her wounds still or they were trying to figure things out. Nora obviously preferred the latter option, also for the sake of her best friend.

As soon as she had opened the door to Jules's loft, she sensed that something was ...different. A quick glance in the hallway confirmed it: a jacket as well as some shoes that sure didn't belong to Jules. "Tom", she muttered with a smile and carefully tiptoed into the living room ...

...where she saw Jules and Tom in a tight embrace and engaged in a long, very passionate kiss. The two of them were so into their kiss that they didn't notice their visitor. Until Nora cleared her throat to announce her arrival. Jules broke the kiss immediately. "Nora! For fuck's sake, can I just kiss my man in peace without you popping up?!" she teased her friend with a grin.
"Uhm, sorry for stealing your girl", Tom chimed in. "I hope you don't mind, and well, it's too late now, anyway."
"Color me fucking unsurprised!" Nora chuckled, while Tom and Jules exchanged a look. "I'm just surprised it took a bit for you two lovebirds."
Tom playfully slapped Jules's butt, gave her a kiss and said, "Won't be long, love." Then he went to the bathroom.
Nora looked at Jules. "Care to tell me?"
"What?"
"How long has this been going on?"
Jules sighed. "Three days and a bit. It's still fresh. And sorry for not answering your texts, but he got here four days ago, and that very evening ...well ..." She grinned.
"Well, that is actually an excuse I can accept. I was just concerned because I didn't hear the slightest blip from you." She looked her friend dead in the eye. "Good luck, babe. You deserve it! Just one more question: who said it first?"
"He did." She smiled happily. "Do you have any idea how much I love him? He's everything, really. Whatever I was searching for after him who shall not be named I have found in Tom."
It was then that Nora full on discovered the hickey on Jules's throat. "Marked his territory, too?" she said with a grin.

Shortly afterwards, Tom returned and immediately wrapped Jules in his arms.
"So now that you've successfully snatched my wife away from me – promise me one thing, Tom: don't fucking hurt her again, okay? She's the most precious, warm-hearted, kindest person on this planet."
"I won't."
"No Scientology shenanigans either", Jules piped up.
Nora looked at her, wide-eyed and her jaw open.
"I'm ..." He wasn't sure how to best phrase it.
"He's about to cut ties."
"No fucking way!" Nora said. "How?"
"Jules opened my eyes. That's the reason. That, and that I cannot see Suri as often as I would love to." He paused for a moment. "Actually, I've been meaning to leave for a while already. But it took Jules, her stubbornness, her patience and, especially, her love for me to realize what I've lost. And for that alone ..." He kissed her again.
Nora couldn't help but feel happy – for her best friend, and that she had managed something that had seemed impossible.

"Also, Nora, sweetie, where the fuck is my statue?" Jules asked a while later when the three of them had made themselves comfy in The Nook.
"Statue?" Tom looked at her.
"Because a while ago this bish there said she'd personally hand me a goddamn Nobel Prize if I managed to get you out of Scientology, and here we are!"
"You two girls, seriously!" Tom chuckled.
"Yeah, I know, we're pretty much insufferable", Nora snorted, and the three of them had a good laugh.

When Jules needed a bathroom break, Nora looked at Tom: "I can't put into words how happy I am for both of you."
"Jules said you knew early on that there was more to us?"
"Yeah, it was obvious to me. But that is because I can read her like an open book, no matter how guarded she is. And I also have no idea how you've done it, how you broke through her walls, but she's fallen head over heels in love – for the first time in over a decade."
Tom sighed. "She must've been terribly hurt ..."
Nora nodded. "Yeah. She really believed that her Soccer Dude was the love of her life, and they were together for a bit over five years. Everyone believed they were THE couple. Well ..." She paused for a moment. "Jules didn't deserve that one single bit. Not my wifey with her heart of gold. I was more than concerned when you two guys had that fight, and Julesy wasn't a pretty sight in those days. But at the end of the day, she loves you. Take care of her, please."
"I will."
Jules came sauntering out of the bathroom and saw how Nora was talking to Tom. She just grinned and joined them. "Nora, enough flirting with my man now!"
"As if I was ever going to steal him away from you!"
"Good. Because what is mine is mine!"
Tom just chuckled at the banter between Nora and Jules and couldn't help but add Nora to his list of close friends. "I don't think I've ever seen a friendship like yours", he said to them.
"Oh, we're pretty sure we've been separated at birth", Nora exclaimed. "And you two are my favorite lovebirds to ever exist!"
"Well, this old man here" – Jules playfully nudged Tom – "is definitely worth to have sacrificed my Rule Number One for."
"This 'old man'", he said, pretending to be offended because Jules had made fun of their age gap, "got you pretty turned on the other night!"
"Uh-oh", Nora chuckled. "So ...have you already ...? Because that kiss I walked in on earlier was fire!"
Jules just grinned and said, "What happens in the bedroom ..."
To Nora, this was as good as them saying verbatim that they had made love.
"But real talk, sweetie – neither Tom nor I care about the age gap. We're happy, madly in love, we feel each other in our souls, and we can be absolutely silly around each other." She kissed him again. "Ich liebe dich!"
"I love you, too. More than words can ever say", Tom replied and looked into her ocean eyes.
Nora just smiled happily again. She loved seeing her best friend sharing kisses and other affections with her man. If anyone on this planet deserves it, it's you, Julesy ...
"You know, Nora, much as I love goofing around with Jules, I also love that we at times don't have to say anything and still understand each other." He buried his nose in Jules's hair.

Later when Nora left them again, Jules went into the hallway with her bestie. "I cannot find the words to even remotely describe how I feel about him. He's ..." She paused for a second and bit on her lip. "I've said to Tom as well that I finally know again what love is and how it feels to be in love. Madly in love."
"You two are absolutely adorable, really." She looked at her friend. "Also, you have been together for like five minutes and are already oozing sex!" she teased her.
Jules chuckled.
"So ...have you?"
"Well, what do YOU think?" Jules replied with a sassy grin. "I know, Tom and I have only just started our relationship, but the feelings were there much longer, and I trust him. So yeah, I did sleep with him. Satisfied now?"
"Why am I not at all surprised?" Nora giggled.
"Because you know me?" Jules replied. "But really, sweetie, a couple of months ago, this all seemed so far away, and now look at me – in a serious relationship again with a man I love more than I can ever put into words and who loves me back." She paused for a moment. "I cannot get enough of him and his love. Be it the look in his eyes, his caresses or his kisses, I need this man."
"I am so, so happy for both of you, really."
"I know you are, Nora. And I appreciate you for it – as well as being my cheerleader in this."
"That's what friends are for, love."
"By the way, since we were talking about it already: sex isn't really important to us. That is not to say that we're one and done here, but as I've said - we feel each other in a different way. In our souls." She smiled. "And now, if you'll excuse me, but I need to go back to my man, or else he'll think I have abandoned him!"
"As if you could abandon him!"

They hugged goodbye, and Jules went back to Tom. "Sorry, that took a bit longer."
"It's okay, babe. Just because we're together, it doesn't mean you're not allowed to hang out with Nora, too. She's absolutely cool!"
"That she is." Jules ran her hand through her hair. "Well, so much also for 'what happens in the bedroom ...'" She looked at him.
"Well, here's an idea." He lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom.

The door fell shut behind them.

"All I ever wanted, all I ever needed
Is here in my arms"